MDOT to make emergency repairs to metro Detroit freeways this week

Motorist on southbound Mound Road approach Interstate 696 in Warren. The state Department of Transportation plans to make emergency repairs to the freeway to remove loose debris once snowy conditions move out of the region.
MACOMB DAILY FILE PHOTO

Michigan State Police on Monday warned motorists using I-696 in Macomb County to be alert to loose debris in the area between Van Dyke Avenue and Hoover Road.
MACOMB DAILY FILE PHOTO

Road crews will work extended hours this week to fill potholes and make sure loose concrete is removed from Detroit-area freeways including Interstate 696 in Macomb and Oakland counties and various routes in Wayne County, state transportation officials said Monday.

The move follows several reports last week of loose road debris crashing through the windows of cars traveling on I-696 in the region.

Michigan State Police on Monday tweeted a warning to motorists about more debris coming loose on I-696 in Macomb County, presenting safety hazards to drivers.

“Please use caution as there are multiple potholes on (eastbound) I-696 between Van Dyke and Hoover in the right and right center lanes,” the State Police Twitter page said. “Leave extra room between the vehicles in front of you. Debris is coming loose.”

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Diane Cross, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Transportation, said in addition to patching potholes, efforts are planned to improve the road surface. Road crews will fill potholes with cold patch material on several freeways in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties this week, depending on the weather. Dry conditions are needed for the materials to be placed onto the roadway, but snow is in the forecast for much of the week.

The projects planned for this week include:

• Eastbound I-696 from I-275 to I-94. Crews will focus on the joints separating the lanes, including removal of crumbling material. Repairs will be done with hot mix asphalt, which will compact and last longer. A supplier is willing to open early specifically to provide MDOT with the material that is normally not available in winter months.

• Westbound I-696 from I-94 to I-75. Crews will treat the area with a liquid asphalt solution, including a stone mixture or recycled asphalt, until the reconstruction project to replace all the concrete on freeways in Macomb County takes place. This repair method is usually done in summer months, so the liquid materials are scarce this time of year. MDOT is working with maintenance garages and suppliers around the state to acquire the materials.

• North/southbound U.S. 24 (Telegraph Road) between Long Lake and Orchard Lake roads. Crews will use an innovative cold-weather fast-set material. Cross said research from other cold-weather state show promising results. The process is more expensive, but the patching has proven to be more durable.

MDOT says I-696 is a 40-year-old freeway “badly in need of repair,” and projects are planned to begin this spring to begin its reconstruction in both Macomb and Oakland counties.